This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-221582, filed Jul. 24, 2000, No. 2001-041062, filed Feb. 19, 2001, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a small-sized chip antenna for use in terminal apparatuses such as a mobile phone, mobile information terminal, and radio local area network (LAN), and a manufacturing method of the chip antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is an important problem to miniaturize an antenna of a mobile phone, or the like. Therefore, various types of small antennas have heretofore been proposed. As one of the small antennas, a chip antenna in which an antenna conductor is formed in a meandered shape and buried in a dielectric material is known (see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-145123).
In this type of antenna has an advantage that a length of the antenna can be reduced as compared with a whip antenna, since the conductor is meandered. However, the meandered antenna has a large width.
An object of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized chip antenna.
A chip antenna according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: an antenna conductor, and a dielectric chip which stacks on a portion of the antenna conductor, in which a conductor exposed portion of the antenna conductor which is not overlapped on the dielectric chip is bent along the surface of the dielectric chip.
With this constitution, a size of the dielectric chip can be reduced by a size of the conductor which is not overlapped in the dielectric chip. Therefore, according to the present invention, the whole chip antenna can be miniaturized.
A manufacturing method of a chip antenna according to the present invention is characterized by comprising forming a conductor pattern having a meandered conductor, and forming a dielectric chip so as to overlap at least a portion of the meandered conductor in a meander width direction or a meander pitch direction in the dielectric chip. It is preferable that the conductor pattern has a pattern in which the meandered conductor and a frame to surround the meandered conductor are integrally formed, and after forming the dielectric chip, the meandered conductor is separated from the frame and a portion excluding a portion which is buried in the dielectric chip is bent along a surface of the dielectric chip. According to this manufacturing method, deformation of the meandered conductor can be controlled when the dielectric chip is formed.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.